I am so sorry to read about such negative experiences. I joined a nice quilt guild which was very welcoming. It did take a little while to get to know other members and for them to know me but since then it's been lovely to attend the meetings. All activities, whether it is a charity sew in, special projects, a class and even the meetings themselves are voluntary. Some members go to all the meetings and others drop in now and then. Love it! I belong to another one geared towards long arm machine users....another great group. I feel so lucky.